Just Arsenal News

When Dennis Bergkamp ended his playing career in 2006, he had scored 122 goals for Arsenal at a rate of more than one every two games. He had picked up 10 winners medals with the the club, and been a key part of the invincibles who went an entire league season unbeaten.

The first match at the new Emirates Stadium was a testimonial for the non-flying Dutchman, and he will soon grace the stadium again, in statue form. Pictures of the statue were leaked on Twitter, and although it has not been officially announced by the club, Bergkamp seems set to be joining other legends Thierry Henry, Tony Adams and Herbert Chapman by being immortalised in Bronze. .......Read the full article here

Liam Brady is an Arsenal legend, there is no doubt about it, and when he finishes his fantastic job of running the youth academy in 2014, it is vital that Arsenal pick the right man to fill his shoes. I feel it should be somebody with a big connection to the club, and Dennis Bergkamp certainly fits that description. Some newspapers reported that Bergkamp may be in line for the position, but I do not think he is the right man. .......Read the full article here

Former Arsenal player and goal scorer extraordinaire, Ian Wright, has claimed that another Gunners legend, Dennis Bergkamp, wanted to come to the Emirates as a coach but was turned down by Arsene Wenger. Wright also called for the resignation of some board members and a move to bring David Dein back to the club.

Wright was as shocked as the rest of us by the defeat, and the manner of it, by Bradford last night, and he believes that enough is enough and some drastic changes should be made. The former striker also seems to have joined the growing ranks of Gooners who have lost faith in Wenger and his ability to turn the poor current form around. .......Read the full article here

It has been revealed that the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has sent his chief scout Steve Rowley to Holland to watch the PSV midfielder Kevin Strootman in action in yesterday’s big game against Ajax. The £20m-rated Dutch international has been tracked by Manchester United for some time, but with Wenger desperate to improve his team in the centre of the park he is willing to break the club’s transfer record to bring in the 22 year-old. .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger may have changed his mind about trying to sign Ajax keeper Kenneth Vermeer for Arsenal after seeing the 26-year old ship four goals at home to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions league. Vermeer should have done much better with at least two of the goals, and his display could cost the Dutch champions as they now have no chance of qualifying for the next stages and are in danger of losing the Europa league place to Manchester City. .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger has said he would bring in players in any position if he felt they were right for the Arsenal team and would add quality to the existing squad. There are various positions that Arsenal fans are worried about and think that Wenger should strengthen, such as defensive midfield, right wing and attack.

One of the most pressing concerns, however, is at right back. Bacary Sagna suffered two leg breaks last season and, although he is apparently recovering well, will not be back to full match fitness for some time. Carl Jenkinson seems to have got the nod from Wenger for now but he is young and inexperienced and has not had to deal with the top teams yet. Many Arsenal fans are worried that he is not ready yet for the best the Premier league has to throw at him. .......Read the full article here

Of course, this being the final week of the summer transfer window, there will be rumours flying around the soccer world like flies round, well you know. Arsenal are today being linked with 20-year old Danish defender Nicolai Boilesen from Dutch club Ajax. Southampton are rumoure to have already enquired about the youngster, with The Sun claiming that the Saints have made a £5 million bid.

I cannot believe there is much in this rumour. Boilesen has clearly showed promise, but has very little experience. Since beginning his professional career with Ajax, the defender has only made 13 appearances for the club. He has been restricted by a number of injuries to his thigh. He has made the step up to full international level and has played twice for Denmark. .......Read the full article here

Arsenal after Gregory Van Der Wiel? by KJ

News from last night and this morning is indicating that Wenger is interested in recruiting a new right back for next season. The name being thrown about at the moment is Ajax’s Gregory Van Der Wiel. The current Dutch Champions have resigned to the fact that their right-back will be leaving the club this summer.

Here are some recent quotes from van Der Wiel on Ajax:

“When you go on to celebrate your 24th birthday, you expect a nice, lucrative contract from your club.” he was quoted as saying to Nusport.nl last week. .......Read the full article here

The Ajax captain Jan Vertonghen is getting frustrated that Tottenham have failed to agree a price with his club so that he can move to White Hart Lane, but he has also admitted that Arsene Wenger wants him at Arsenal but he won’t move to the Emirates until Tottenham give up on negotiations with Ajax.

The Belgian international was quoted on Sporza.be (translated by Google) as saying: “I chose Tottenham. This club gives me the best feeling. They want to act fast. They have already invited me and Monday was their president in Amsterdam. They say I’m their only option, that’s a compliment,” .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger was hoping to add Jan Vertonghen to his early acquisition of Lukas Podolski but reports today strongly suggest that the 25-year old Belgian international is heading to Arsenal’s North London rivals, Spurs. Vertonghen can play as a holding midfielder as well as his more normal position as a defender. He was named Eredivisie player of the year after his performances for Ajax this season and would have made a great addition to the Arsenal team. .......Read the full article here

How different this transfer window is for Arsenal compared to last summer, with Arsene Wenger already announcing his first signing even before the season has ended.

So now Lukas Podolski’s arrival at the Emirates has been confirmed, it seems Arsenal’s second-worst-kept-secret is also approaching a conclusion with the news that Wenger is in advanced negotiations with Ajax to bring in the versatile defender Jan Vertonghen.

The Belgian team-mate of Thomas Vermaelen has made it extremely clear that he is leaving Ajax this summer, and has also announced enough times that Arsenal is his favoured destination, so it seems that it only remains for Wenger to agree on the price with Ajax. .......Read the full article here

Rumours have it that the Newcastle manager Alan Pardew is already looking for players which can improve his team, especially if they manage to sneak into a Champions League place, and according to today’s newspapers Pardew took a personal visit to the Netherlands to watch Ajax’s game against De Graafschap.

Pardew was there to keep an eye on Arsenal’s transfer target Jan Vertonghen, as he is looking to tempt the defensive star into joining Newcastle instead of the Gunners.

Being so close to a Champions League winning spot now that they’ve drawn level with Tottenham, the Magpies are likely to be landing some big names in the summer in order to get ready for a Champions League participation. .......Read the full article here